Instrument with triple-bout acoustical body



Junev 15, 1965 2. A. LEvAssEuR INSTRUMENT WITH TRIPLE-BOUT ACOUSTICAL BODY Filed Nov. 6. 1964 Za/ka Alar/eLevasseur INVENTOR.

BY m a as W000 30 32 46 34 50 United States Patent 3,188,902 INSTRUMENT WITH TRIPLE-BOUT ACOUSTICAL BODY Zalka Alarie Levasseur, 349 Ste. Cecile, Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada Filed Nov. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 409,537 Claims. (Cl. 84-491) This invention relates to an improved stringed musical instrument which can be constructed to function as a member of the violin family, but is primarily more suitable for use as a mandolin, guitar, ukulele, or similar fretted fingerboard guitar-like instrument.

This instrument, while dependent to a large extent on the choice and cut of seasoned wood (maple, pine, white deal, Cedar of Columbus and so on) is unique in that the form and relationship of the component parts results in the production of a genuinely original hollow acoustical body capable of producing excellent tone quality and which makes this instrument exclusive in its class. It adapts to requirements of fine workmanship, lends itself to responsive performance and is destined to please makers, users and listeners.

To the ends desired the body herein disclosed is mechanically sound and of good balanced design and appearance. The fine sounding tone emanates through a single tone hole communicating with a unique tone generating chamber which is delineated by three oriented and coordinated bouts, the over-all plan (top or bottom) resembling a shamrock.

In carrying out a preferred embodiment of the concept, it will be noted that the neck itself is not unusual in that it is provided at an outer end with a head having string-anchoring pegs and turning and tuning keys therefor. Then, too, the inner end is fashioned into an abut ment, called a button in the art, said neck having a fingerboard. It is within the purview of the invention to provide a fingerboard with or without frets depending on the nature of the instrument which is to be perfected. It follows that the significant aspect of the invention is the aforementioned triple-bout hollow acoustical body having the general appearance of a shamrock.

Each bout is characterized by a generally circular compartment constituting a component of the over-all tone amplifying chamber of the body. Novelty is also predicated on having each compartment or bout provided interiorly with a sound post, said sound posts being offcenter and though contiguous to each other being spaced in equidistance from each other to achieve the best sound generating results.

Novelty is also predicated on a construction of a triplebout hollow body wherein the marginal ribs (sometimes called rims) have certain turned in edges overlapping and glued together and at the rear have adjacent terminal ends attached to an intervening wedge-shaped block, said block being interposed between the top and bottom panels at the rear or tail end of the body.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a stringed musical instrument constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan View of the hollow acoustical body.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section on an enlarged scale, taken on the plane of the section line 33 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

And FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view on a suitably enlarged scale taken on the plane of the section line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

The hollow shamrock shaped body, more specifically called the acoustical tone generating and amplifying body, is denoted by the numeral 6. The elongated neck is denoted at 8, the head at its outer end at 10, the fingerboard at 12. Incidentally, the fingerboard may be of ebony, the neck and head being of a suitable grade of wood. The pins or pegs 14 on the head are of conventional construction and operated by grippable keys 16 (not fully detailed). The strings 18 will be conventional depending on Whether the instrument is a mandolin, guitar, ukulele or the like. The strings are anchored at their forward ends on the pegs and at their rearward ends on a tail block or equivalent member 20 fastened atop the body. The end to the right in FIG. 1 for example is called the front and the end to the left the rear or tail portion. The top one-piece panel is denoted at 22, has a centrally located tone outlet or hole 24 and, being shamrock-shaped embodies a forward lobe 26 and two oppositely disposed rear-ward lobes 28 and 30. These lobes are spaced in parallel alignment with corresponding lobes 26A and 28B and 30B constituting the several components of the back or bottom panel 32. These lobe-like components are joined together by intervening rim members referred to in the trade as ribs, there being a front generally circular rib 34 (FIG. 3) and a pair of duplicate opposed rearward ribs 36, these ribs being the same in construction. All ribs are generally circular in plan and it will be seen from FIG. 3 that the turned in terminal end portions 38 and 40 are overlapped and glued or otherwise connected together as is customary in the trade. At the rearward or tail portion there is an inwardly projecting substantially wedge-shaped reinforcing and rigidifying block 42. This is interposed between the crotch portions of the lobes 28 and 30 and fittingly glued or otherwise joined thereto as brought out in FIG. 4. It will be noted in this connection that the terminal end portions 44 of the turned in ribs 36 are mitered and abut and are joined to coordinating tapering surfaces of the wedge block. A segment-a1 block 46 is also used and this has a curvate surface 48 abutting and aflixed to the bight portion of the rib 34 in line with the neck. The neck is provided at this point with the usual lateral button 50 which abuts the crown or surface of the rib 34 and is attached by a bolt and nut or an equivalent fastening 51 passing through the parts as shown in full and dotted lines in FIG. 3.

It will be understood that all of the parts, except the frets, tuning pegs and fastening means 51 are made of Wood. As before suggested, the woods are carefully chosen depending on whether the instrument is to be a precision made expensive one or one which because of sale prices, will be in the cheaper category. In any event, each bout is provided with its own or individual sound post, the front one being denoted at 52 and the two rearward ones at 54 and 56, respectively. Each post is offcenter in respect to the axis of the compartment or tone chamber in which it is mounted. It has been found that this careful orientation and coordination of component parts results in a triple chambered or triple-bout acoustical body which Well serves the purposes for which it is intended.

Careful analysis of the views of the drawings in conjunction with the description of the details will enable the reader to obtain a full and comprehensive understanding of the character and performance of the unique body. Accordingly a more extensive description is regarded as unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A stringed musical instrument of the class described comprising: a hollow acoustical body, a neck having a complemental fingerboard, an integral head at the outer end of said neck provided with key-operated string-anchoring and tuning pegs, said neck being provided at its inner end with a stabilizing and reinforcing button abutting and secured to a median forward portion of said body, said body embodying three coordinating symmetrical hollow bouts oriented and providing a triple compartmentaltone amplifying chamber, each compartment provided with a sound post, the top of said body being provided with a tone hole common to the compartments of said chamber.

2. The instrument defined in claim 1, and wherein each compartment is of the same construotiomthe sound post therein being situated oifcenter and the several sound posts being spaced from but relatively contiguous to one another.

3. The instrument according to claim 2, and wherein said body is characterized by a one-piece back panel, a one-piece top panel and generally circular panel assembling and connecting ribs interposed between and associatively cooperable with marginal edge portions of the back and top panels, the thus fabricated three bouts defining an instrument which, in top and bottom plan, is in resemblance of a shamrock.

'4. The instrument according to claim 3, and wherein each rib is separate and distinct and has terminal turned in end portions, certain contiguous end portions overlapping each other and being glued together, and at least two of said end portions, located at the tail portion of the body, being glued to adjacent sides of a wedge-shaped block, said block being interposed between coacting mar ginal edge portions of said panels.

5. A stringed musical instrument, a guitar for example, comprising: a hollow acoustical body, a neck having a complemental fingerboard, an integral head at the outer end of said neck provided with key-operated string-anchoring and tuning pegs, said neck being provided at its inner end with a stabilizing and reinforcing button abutting and secured to a median forward portion of said body, said body comprising a fiat top panel having a centrally positioned tone hole, a flat bottom panel, said panels being alike and each marginally delineated to provide lobes representing a shamrock, said panels being marginally joined in oriented spaced parallel relationby three generally circular spacing and connecting ribs, the outer surtaces of said ribs being flush with coordinating curvate marginal edges of the lobes of said panels, certain of said ribs having turned in overlapping terminal portions secured together, a wedge-shaped reinforcing block interposed between two adjacent lobes of the central rearward tail portion of said body, a segmental block interposed between median edge portions of the forward lobes of'said panels and having its curvate surface abutting and conformingly secured to an interior surface of a median part of the coacting forwardly located rib, a sound post mounted in each lobe-like compartment of the over-all acoustical chamber of said body, and a fretted neck hav ing a terminal button abutting the crest of said forwardly located rib and secured thereto and to said segmental block.

No references cited.

LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner. 

1. A STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED COMPRISING: A HOLLOW ACOUSTICAL BODY, A NECK HAVING A COMPLEMENTAL FINGERBOARD, AN INTEGRAL HEAD AT THE OUTER END OF SAID NECK PROVIDED WITH KEY-OPERATED STRING-ANCHORING AND TUNING PEGS, SAID NECK BEING PROVIDED AT ITS INNER END WITH A STABILIZING AND REINFORCING BUTTON ABUTTING AND SECURED TO A MEDIAN FORWARD PORTION OF SAID BODY, SAID BODY EMBODYING THREE COORDINATING SYMMETRICAL HOLLOW BOUTS ORIENTED AND PROVIDING A TRIPLE COMPARTMENT PROVIDED WITH A AMPLIFYING CHAMBER, EACH COMPARTMENT PROVIDED WITH A SOUND POST, THE TOP OF SAID BODY BEING PROVIDED WITH A TONE HOLE COMMON TO THE COMPARTMENTS OF SAID CHAMBER. 